NFL QUICK HITS: News in brief from around the league for Aug. 15, 2013

Associated Press

Published 2:16 pm, Wednesday, August 14, 2013

NEW ENGLAND

Pats QB Brady limps off with apparent knee injury

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots got a scare Wednesday when quarterback Tom Brady limped off the practice field after appearing to hurt his left knee when he was hit after throwing a pass.

Club president Jonathan Kraft told WBZ-FM that he made a call to check on Brady's condition and it "hopefully did not appear to be that bad."

Coach Bill Belichick did not talk with reporters after practice and the team made no official comment. Brady's agent, Donald Yee, did not return an email seeking comment

Brady tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the 2008 season opener and missed the rest of the season, but he's played every game since then.

Brady had left tackle Nate Solder pushed into him by Tampa Bay defensive end Adrian Clayborn during a joint practice with the Buccaneers.

"You've always got to stay away from the quarterback," Clayborn said. "You got a guy on his heels and my instinct is to keep going, so that's what I did."

The contact came after Brady threw a long incompletion down the right sideline toward rookie Aaron Dobson about midway through the session.

"We're always working to protect," Solder said. "I'll have to see what happened on the film. I screwed some things up here and there."

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ST. LOUIS

Rams' Dunbar suspended 4 games for PED violation

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Rams starting linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar was suspended Wednesday for four games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

Dunbar, who was second on the team with a career-high 157 tackles last season, is able to participate in all team activities prior to the suspension, which begins with the season-opening game against Arizona. He will be able to practice and play in all exhibition contests prior to the opener.

Dunbar made a brief statement and took one question in a short media session Wednesday. He appeared emotional as he walked away following the comments.

"I just want to say that I did not take a performance enhancing drug," Dunbar said. "I mistakenly took something that prompted a failed drug test."

The 27-year-old Dunbar also will miss games against Atlanta, Dallas and San Francisco. He eligible to return on Sept. 27.

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SAN FRANCISCO

49ers defensive lineman Dobbs suspended for Week 1

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Demarcus Dobbs was suspended Wednesday for a Week 1 game against Green Bay for a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy.

The 49ers, in announcing the penalty jointly with the NFL, say Dobbs will be eligible to return to the active roster on Sept. 9, a day after the reigning NFC champion Niners' season opener at home against the Packers. He can still practice with the team, attend meetings and other activities.

On Wednesday afternoon, the team was holding meetings before an early evening practice. Dobbs wasn't immediately available for comment, and the suspension was announced just after coach Jim Harbaugh addressed the media for the day.

"The San Francisco 49ers organization supports the NFL's code of conduct policy and their recent decision regarding Demarcus," general manager Trent Baalke said in a statement.

Dobbs ended last season on injured reserve with a right knee problem, missing the final three regular-season games after getting hurt against Miami on Dec. 9.

He was arrested Nov. 30 -- his 25th birthday -- for suspicion of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana.

Carpenter, Miami's kicker the past five seasons, had his contract terminated. The move saves the Dolphins considerable money, because he would have received nearly $2.7 million this year in the final season of a four-year deal.

The Dolphins signaled Carpenter's job was jeopardy when they drafted Sturgis in the fifth round in April. Sturgis set a school record for field goals at Florida, where he went 70 for 88, including eight successful kicks from 50 yards and beyond.

The rookie made a 58-yard field goal in an exhibition game Friday and Jacksonville and hit all six of his kickoffs into the end zone.

Carpenter, a Helena, Mont., native and University of Montana kicker, reached the Pro Bowl in 2009 and holds the team record with a 60-yard field goal in 2010. He went 22 for 27 last year, but he's only 10 for 20 in his career from 50 yards and beyond.

General manager Jeff Ireland released a statement thanking Carpenter, who was active in community fundraising and children's events.

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BUFFALO

Bills sign LB Westerman; waive injured TE Caussin

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills have signed free agent linebacker Jamaal Westerman, and released injured tight end Mike Caussin.

The moves were made before the start of practice Wednesday night.

Westerman has four years of NFL experience after splitting last season between Arizona and Indianapolis. He spent his first three seasons with the New York Jets, where he played under current Bills defensive coordinator Mike Pettine.

Overall, Westerman has 53 tackles and 5-1/2 sacks in 45 career games.

Caussin was designated as waived/injured. He's not practiced since hurting his hip on Aug. 2. The second-year player has had little luck since appearing in six games with Buffalo in 2011. He missed all of last season because of a knee injury.

The Bills (1-0) host Minnesota (0-1) in a preseason game Friday.

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KANSAS CITY

Chiefs waive LB Chad Kilgore, sign CB Kennard Cox

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs waived linebacker Chad Kilgore and signed cornerback Kennard Cox prior to their final practice Wednesday on the campus of Missouri Western State University.

Kilgore, who played at nearby Northwest Missouri State, spent time in training camp with the Raiders last season. He played high school football in Excelsior Springs, Mo.

A longshot to make the team, he was waived to clear space for Cox, who has played 29 games in four NFL seasons spent with Jacksonville and Seattle. The former seventh-round pick has also spent time with the Bills and Packers earlier in his career.

The Chiefs play their second preseason game Friday night at Arrowhead Stadium. They resume training camp at their own practice facility next week.

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DENVER

Broncos' Miller arrested for failure to appear

DENVER -- Denver Broncos Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller, already facing a suspension for violating the NFL's drug-abuse policy, is now confronted by charges that he failed to show up in court on misdemeanor traffic violations.

Miller was arrested in the Denver suburb of Centennial on Sunday and then released, Arapahoe County sheriff's detention chief Louie Perea said Wednesday.

The Broncos released a two-sentence statement saying they and league officials are aware of the allegation that Miller didn't appear at a court hearing. The matter is "being handled through the legal system," the statement said.

Miller wasn't available for comment Wednesday. Coming off the field after practice, he was whisked away by a member of the team's public relations staff to sign autographs and take photos with wounded members of the armed forces before being escorted by another staff member into team headquarters before reporters could ask him to stop and answer questions.

Miller was supposed to appear in court on Dec. 31 on charges of careless driving, driving without a license and no proof of insurance, Arapahoe County court officials said. The original citation was issued Oct. 25.

The address where Miller was arrested is the Centennial Gun Club, a shooting range. A woman who answered the phone at the club Wednesday said the owner was in a meeting and unavailable for comment.

The 24-year-old linebacker is facing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's drug-abuse policy. He has appealed and a hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

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MINNESOTA

Without Winfield, Vikings counting on young CBs

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Vikings are counting on some savvy, productive performances by their unseasoned cornerbacks.

Playing beyond their years will be a must in this pass-happy league.

The guys in charge of this critical position begin with Chris Cook, Josh Robinson and rookie Xavier Rhodes. Combined, this trio has played in 38 regular season games and totaled just two interceptions, both by Robinson last year. A.J. Jefferson is the only other player in the mix for playing time with significant experience in the secondary.

"I think any corner in the NFL is hungry, especially if he's not known," Robinson said this week. "He's hungry to make himself known, and that's how we are as a unit. Not just with us three, but our entire secondary. We're hungry for that success. We're hungry to be the best."

Missing of course is stalwart veteran Antoine Winfield, who was let go and is now with Seattle. Not only will the group be without his leadership, but his steady play and sure tackling will be hard to replace. Robinson has been asked to move inside to the slot in the nickel package on obvious passing downs, a spot he's never played before in his life. Cook and Robinson will start together in the base defense.

Robinson and Rhodes each missed some practice time at the beginning of training camp because of hamstring injuries, which didn't help the push for cohesion.

"They haven't had much time together on task," coach Leslie Frazier said. "For Josh Robinson, we need to get a feel for him playing a new position playing a slot corner. Xavier Rhodes as well, having to play hopefully a lot of snaps for us in nickel situations, is like being a starter now. So that secondary, these next two games, will be very, very important to find out where we are and what we are trying to do improve before we play that first game. It is a key area for us to get a feel for coming out of this preseason."

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SAN FRANCISCO

49ers defense eager to face Chiefs QB Alex Smith

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Over all those years and thousands of practice snaps, the stingy San Francisco defense never got to put a hit on Alex Smith.

And this is a group known for its vicious blows, from sack man Aldon Smith at linebacker to pounding safety Donte Whitner.

So, no surprise Smith's former teammates on the opposite side of the ball will be salivating to finally chase down the quarterback when they face him and the Chiefs in a preseason game at Kansas City on Friday night.

"There's a first time for everything," linebacker NaVorro Bowman said, smiling. "We never got a chance to hit him. This time we can. We're looking forward to it. I know Alex knows we're coming. It's football, man. He's on another team and we have to go out there and play our game."

Cornerback Carlos Rogers plans to talk trash -- because, he insists, Smith will certainly be expecting it from this group.

"He'll probably come after me because we were always talking junk during practices while he was here. I'm going to take a look at the film and see what we can come up with," Rogers said. "It will be really fun. I'm pretty sure he's going to be talking junk. He's going to want to go at our defense because now he gets the opportunity. When he was here we didn't really go against the 1 offense unless it was training camp."

Smith has begun anew in the AFC with the Chiefs after being traded in March. He lost his starting job with San Francisco in November to Colin Kaepernick.

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NEW ORLEANS

Drop aside, WR Stills gaining Saints' confidence

METAIRIE, La. -- Saints rookie receiver Kenny Stills Jr. has already earned enough respect from Sean Payton to see some first-team snaps, and enough trust from Drew Brees to see some deep passes come his way.

If he can earn a few compliments from his father, a former NFL safety, then he'll know he's really getting somewhere.

Stills talks with his father a couple times a week, and when they spoke after the rookie's preseason debut against Kansas City, the focus wasn't on his leaping 22-yard catch or the pass-interference penalty he drew by outracing his defender deep down field.

It was on a deep pass from Brees that he dropped.

"He wasn't very pleased with my performance," Stills said of his father. "That's just him being tough on me and I wasn't very pleased with it, either, so you can see where that comes from."

The elder Kenny Stills told his son that "it's unacceptable to drop a ball and I'm lucky I still have a few more opportunities to continue to prove myself -- and make sure I'm catching everything," the younger Stills recalled.

"I feel like my parents did a good job just raising me," Stills added. "My dad was pretty tough on me -- same with my mom. We made a mistake one time and that was kind of your learning curve, and after that it's unacceptable. So I just kind of carried that with me the rest of my life."

***

CINCINNATI

Bengals WR A.J. Green returns to practice

CINCINNATI -- Bengals receiver A.J. Green returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday, ending a nearly three-week absence because of a bruised knee.

Green was allowed to participate in non-contact drills only. The All-Pro receiver said the team was being cautious, easing him in slowly.

"I am back to 100 percent," Green said. "They just don't want to throw me back just like this. As the days go on I am going to work my way back into them."

The Bengals play their second preseason game on Saturday night against Tennessee at Paul Brown Stadium. It's unlikely Green would play, given the team's cautious approach, but he wants to get into at least one of the preseason games.

"I want to play," he said. "Just a matter of which one. So, we will see what the coaches say. I definitely want to play."

He bruised his left knee while trying to make a sideline catch during the first practice of training camp on July 25. He's been held out of practice since then, working on getting the knee healed.

Green caught 97 passes for 1,350 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. The Bengals want to make sure the knee is back to full strength for their season opener in Chicago on Sept. 8.

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SEATTLE

Avril returns to practice for Seahawks

RENTON, Wash. -- First slowed by foot problems during offseason workouts, and then a hamstring, Cliff Avril was just happy to be feeling well enough to get on the field for a short time.

"Definitely not how I wanted to start out here," Avril said. "It's part of football. Things happen. For me it's just getting better every day and progressing with the injuries and getting ready for the season."

Avril, Seattle's big free agent signing at defensive end in the offseason, was on the practice field Wednesday for the first time in training camp. Avril only participated in individual drills, but coach Pete Carroll was hopeful Avril might make it through a full practice on Thursday.

"It was just a start. We couldn't get him past the individual periods yet. We're going to do a little bit more tomorrow and just start bringing him back," Carroll said. "It's great getting him back on the field. He needs to be part of this."

Even if Avril makes it through a full practice on Thursday, it's unlikely that he would play on Saturday when the Seahawks host Denver in their second preseason game.

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INDIANAPOLIS

Colts trying to fight through with 2 healthy TEs

INDIANAPOLIS -- Mr. Irrelevant is suddenly becoming very important in Indianapolis' new offense.

So is the little-known Dominique Jones.

With an injury to Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener not yet cleared to play Sunday because of a concussion, Jones and Justice Cunningham are working overtime at tight end for a team that that is trying to implement a new, power-running offense.

"Me and D.J. are probably out there a lot more than we're used to being out there," said Cunningham, the last pick, No. 254, in April's draft. "They're acting as if nothing happened, picking it up and just moving right along."

This is not what first-year offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton envisioned when he left Stanford to return to the NFL.

He looked at the Colts roster and saw an opportunity to use Allen and Fleener in double-tight end sets.

Allen, a third-round pick last year, thrived in Indianapolis. He caught 45 passes for 521 yards, leading all rookie tight ends in both categories and breaking Ken Dilger's franchise rookie record for receptions by a tight end.

Fleener, a second-round pick last year out of Stanford, had 26 receptions for 281 yards and two TDs as a rookie. His familiarity with Hamilton's offense put him ahead of his teammates at the start of training camp. On Sunday, though, Fleener lost a fumble on the second series of the game and dropped a touchdown pass in the back of the end zone, forcing the Colts to settle for a field goal, before being diagnosed with a concussion.

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PITTSBURGH

Steelers DE Keisel gearing up for 12th season

LATROBE, Pa. -- Brett Keisel realizes this could be his final season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the only NFL team the veteran defensive end has ever played for.

Keisel, who is in the final year of his contract, has no plans to retire at season's end, and the reliable 34-year-old doesn't plan to let those emotions affect his play on the field either.

Age hasn't caught up to the energetic Keisel, who is playing the best football of his career. Keisel started 30 of the previous 32 games, finishing with 58 tackles and a career-best 40 quarterback pressures last year. He earned his first career Pro Bowl nod in 2010 and was named a third alternate the following year.

The Steelers are in the process of instituting a youth movement on defense.

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PHILADELPHIA

Foles gets his turn to start for Eagles

PHILADELPHIA -- Nick Foles, you're up.

Foles will be the starting quarterback when the Philadelphia Eagles play their second preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night. Michael Vick started last week's 31-22 to loss to New England and now it's Foles' turn to take the first snap.

The two quarterbacks have been alternating days starting out with the first team so coach Chip Kelly said last week Foles would go first this time because Vick opened the first game.

Vick was 4 of 5 for 94 yards, including a perfect 47-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson in two series against the Patriots. Foles lost a fumble on his first series, but led the Eagles to a TD on his next one against New England backups.

The Browns' running back will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery Thursday, the latest medical setback for Hardesty, who dislocated his right thumb on Monday after missing most of training camp with a hamstring injury.

Cleveland coach Rob Chudzinski said Hardesty has been bothered by "nagging" soreness in his knee, and that the surgery is not related to the hamstring injury that forced him to miss the majority of workouts this summer. Hardesty had only returned to practice on Monday when he injured his thumb while jumping to catch a direct snap from center.

Chudzinski does not know how long Hardesty, who has undergone prior surgeries to repair torn ligaments in both knees, will be sidelined.

"We'll have to see after he gets that (scope)," Chudzinski said. "It's just to clean it up."

Typically, the recovery time on such surgeries is least one month. Chudzinski said his message to Hardesty is to stay strong.

"You have to keep coming back and keep fighting," he said. "I think that is the theme we have been talking about a lot. It applies everywhere in this game. And he'll make it back."

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NEW YORK JETS

Jets' Ryan says Smith has 'brutal' day at practice

CORTLAND, N.Y. -- Geno Smith threw one interception, and then another. And then, two more.

It wasn't a good performance by the New York Jets rookie quarterback. At all.

Smith, competing with Mark Sanchez for the starting job, was intercepted four times, including three in 11-on-11 team drills. He is still dealing with a sprained right ankle, that he has looked less hobbled by in practice the last few days. But Ryan said it is clearly affecting his performance, as well as his fundamentals and being late on some throws.

"Obviously, the ankle is part of it, but way too many picks," Ryan said. "He did not look comfortable today. Obviously, he has to come back from it, and he will come back from it. But it was a bad day."

"Guys have bad days, but this was a really bad day."

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KANSAS CITY

Chiefs' Charles out of practice with foot injury

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles remained sidelined by a strained right foot and will likely miss the Kansas City Chiefs' preseason game Friday night against San Francisco.

Charles left the practice field on Monday and speculation ran rampant that the injury was serious. X-rays came back negative and the Chiefs still consider him day to day.

The Chiefs practiced only in shells for the final time at Missouri Western on Wednesday before moving their base back to Kansas City next week. They will hold a closed walk-through on Thursday before playing the 49ers at Arrowhead Stadium.

The only other notable absence at practice was linebacker Akeem Jordan. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said that he had a personal matter but would rejoin the team on Thursday.